Biblical Modes of Worship (Part 2)

Davidic Worship

In its own complex way, the Bible presents several facets of worship.  As we behold the breadth of Scripture and the story of God and his people, we can witness five modes of worship that facilitate the meeting of God and his people. Join us for the next few posts to unpack the following five modes of biblical worship.* 

• Tabernacle / Temple Worship

• Davidic Worship 

• Synagogue Worship

• New Testament Hymns

• Heavenly Worship in the book of Revelation

Worship leaders today can embrace characteristics of worship from these biblical modes, prayerfully implement them with their leadership teams, and know they're not just relying on what seems current.

Most readers of this blog will recognize Davidic worship even if you're not sure what that title means - "Something about King David?" - Yes! King David for many is the quintessential worship leader. He was a courageous leader fighting off bears and lions to protect his sheep. He was a skilled musician whose music was able to drive away the evil spirits that haunted King Saul. He was a singer-songwriter composing many dozens of psalms we find in Scripture. And perhaps greatest of all, King David is called a man after God's heart (Acts 13:22). All these factors coalesce in this one man who is the epitome of today's worship leader. But what is the biblical model of worship we call Davidic worship?  It is continuous attending in worship before the throne of God that David modeled in his imperfect life and instituted as King. 

We have to look back to the Tabernacle / Temple worship to gain a deeper understanding of this continuous attending to the presence of God. The ark of the covenant was the place of God's glory among God's people and was only to be placed in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle or Temple. After a tumultuous journey including a span of seven months in the land of the Philistines, the ark of the covenant finally is returned to Israel. Eventually, David accompanies the ark back to Jerusalem in a holy procession. In this procession, there were priests, musicians, and all sorts of elders who had consecrated themselves to transport the ark. Once the ark is placed in the tent that David had set up for it, notice his royal command:

"Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers" (1 Chron 16:4–7). 

After this momentous occasion, David leaves "Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister regularly before the ark as each day required" (1 Chron 16:37).  

Did you notice that? Did your heart rate jump up to 115 bpm just now? It's hard for a musician not to notice the strategic placement of singers, instrumentalists, and the like, to both accompany the ark and eventually stand by it in the tent, once humble covering now becoming God's house, to praise the name of the Lord, to offer thanksgiving in wonder and awe. Think how many psalms must have been written in this place or how many were inspired by this procession and eventual continuous worship. Think of the times when you've been involved in similar times and spaces of worship in God's presence. 

Indeed, God's people have found ways to pray regularly, and continuously, "without ceasing" as St. Paul says, attending to the Holy One of Israel (1 Thess 5:17). This model might remind us of the house of prayer movement or it may call to mind those living in monastic communities whose primary role is to work, worship, and pray. Whichever manifestation we identify with, we acknowledge something good and holy to this continuous attending to God's presence in worship. And the musicians, the leaders of worship who give voice to the sung prayer of God's people have a key role in this. 

Our modern worship sets resemble this Davidic worship especially when we let the music hang for a bit and we abide in God's presence. This space may be a growth area for your church, a space worth collaborating with your pastor to facilitate. This space also takes some practice and coordination with the band, but it's a worthwhile skill to build as it helps our congregations learn the art of waiting in God's presence, a much-needed posture indeed in our technologically-powered, frenetic world. Sometimes this waiting happens in silence, sometimes there is quiet music playing underneath, but the goal patterned in the biblical model of Davidic worship is that of attending in worship before the throne of God. We teach this by modeling it. 

As worship leaders today, we can embrace this posture and pattern of Davidic worship in our personal lives and cultivate it in our worship leadership. However we do it, let's make a start at attending continuously in worship before the throne of God. 

*I owe these categories to the brief study presented by Robert E. Webber in Enter His Courts with Praise: A Study of the Role of Music and the Arts in Worship (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995).